About Oasis Community Housing
Oasis Community Housing exists to reignite a hope and a future for everyone facing homelessness during the additional crisis of Coronavirus
Oasis Community Housing Description
Oasis Aquila Housing is a Christian response to homelessness and disadvantage providing housing, support and other specialised services to support individuals from a place of emergency to independence. The support provided aims to develop life skills that will enable the young people to live successful independent lives. We are a national charity, with our Central Office and many of our projects based in Gateshead.
Our current projects include:
- Naomi Project: 8 bed 24-hour staffed supported accommodation for homeless young women aged 16-30.
- Number 3: 16 bed supported accommodation for homeless young women aged 16-21 in Peckham, London
- Croydon Foyer: An 18 bed accredited Foyer for young people aged 16-25 and housing support in dispersed properties in the community in Croydon. The Foyer is delivered as part of a pathway approach, in partnership with CAYSH.
- Elizabeth House: 9 bed 24-hour staffed supported accommodation for young mums aged 16-25 with their pre-school children.
- Karis Project: Supported tenancies for young mums aged 16-25 with their children.
- Gateshead Family Stability Service: A community based support service that helps families address worklessness, anti-social behaviour, school attendance and family relationships.
- Basis@336: Homeless drop-in centre focusing on prevention for those most at risk and services for those who are homeless; showers, laundry, food, and signposting advice to access appropriate housing.
- Bond Scheme: Helping previously homeless people access the private rented sector and supporting tenancies longer term.
- Talent Match: Targeted one-to-one support for young people aged 18-24 to prepare and get ready for employment, supporting them to overcome any barriers they may face.
Until recently, we were known as Aquila Way - on 1st April 2014 we joined the Oasis group of charities to become Oasis Aquila Housing. Our mission is till the same: to support vulnerable people on their journey from emergency to independence. We make it our business to provide a home, a place to belong and network of support to those we serve, helping them fulfill their God–given potential. Our partnership with Oasis opens the door for greater reach across the country, providing an opportunity for us to meet the housing needs of a greater number of people than we currently do.
Reviews
Day 35 of Lent: FACT There are 5762 people sleeping rough and in temporary accommodation in Croydon. ACT Pray for our project The Foyer which supports some of these people. http://ow.ly/zvXv50mxU4k
“What a transformation in this young man’s life in just a few months!”
ALL THANKS TO WEARSIDE SUPPORT – we cannot do this work without you.
Steven walked through the doors of Basis@Sunderland back in January, looking for somewhere to live.
... He’d served time in prison and lived in bail accommodation, but needed somewhere permanent to get his life back on track.
Back on the Map told him to visit us, and we put him in touch with our Help to Rent Scheme. Steven struck up a good working relationship with Christa from our Help to Rent team and Anna from Basis@Sunderland, who helped him to get sorted out and made sure he had something to eat and drink while with us.
Steven moved quickly into his new home, and continues to use our services as he starts again. We’ve been able to help him sort out his utility bills, provided bedding and assisted him with a Welfare Reform grant.
Dave Cawley, project team leader for Basis@Sunderland said: “Steven has definitely turned a corner and has been very motivated to turn his life around, with the encouragement of Basis staff.
“He is very self-aware that he now needs to fill his time with positive activities. He has completed an IT course via Community Learning and is due to start an Addiction Rehabilitation Course with Oaktrees in Gateshead.
“Basis paid for a return bus ticket to Washington for him to attend an interview at Sunderland College for an Access to Higher Education Course, which is due to start in September.
“He has become very well organised, keeping a notebook to record all his finances and to budget for his future, as well as to record all the courses he has attended and plans to attend in the coming year.
“What a transformation in this young man’s life in just a few months!”
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Day 34 of Lent: FACT £25 could provide a move-in pack (bedding, towels and toiletries) to welcome a new resident into one of our supported accommodation projects. ACT Consider donating or fundraising to provide a move-in pack. http://ow.ly/MfGh50mxTO3
Huge thanks to Carole and the team from St Vincent de Paul who have organised an Easter bazaar for us on Sunday! With a tombola, cake, crafts and much more it is bound to be a great event! Head on down to St Peter's RC Church, Gateshead at lunch time on Sunday to join in the Easter fun
Come join us! We will politely and cheerfully be collecting in Gateshead city centre on Thursday, May 2nd to raise money for the homeless, the abused and the forgotten. Be part of something bigger, and bring your best moves - email abbie.allison@oasiscommunityhousing. org
A free hour and a big smile is all you need <3
Day 33 of Lent: FACT We’re currently overseeing 22 properties in Basis Beds with plans to extend this to 34 on the coming months, providing homes to those who need them most. ACT Donate your unwanted food items to a food bank http://ow.ly/PQ4S50mxTlc
'This felt like a way to help that really would help'. - Liz, Basis@Sunderland volunteer.
Do you want to really make a difference too? We are looking for people to join our amazing team of volunteers at both of our Basis projects. Check out our vacancies page for more info https://oasiscommunityhousing.org/what-yo u-can-do/vacancies/
Day 32 of Lent: FACT Life expectancy for a female rough sleeper is 43. ACT Read and reflect on Isaiah 58:6 http://ow.ly/CBAA50mxSSQ
Jayden Brown, aged nine, is our hero. What a thoughtful, compassionate boy.
"Dear Phil, I want you to have my Christmas money for OCH because I feel so bad for the homeless people you help. Maybe you could use the money for:
... -clothes -warm food
From Jayden Brown (Age 9)
Thank you Jayden, you've made our week.
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Day 31 of Lent: FACT There are 75 people in temporary accommodation in Sunderland. ACT Encourage your church to come together to pray about these issueshttps://oasiscommunityhousing.org/e vent/lent-40-days-of-prayer-and-action/< br>
We said the saddest of goodbyes to Phil Dobson, our Director of Programmes, today. Phil has been with us for 14 years and has held this charity together through some really rocky times. We'll miss his calmness, his centredness, and his Godliness. And we'll also miss ignoring his Do Not Disturb signs... All the best Phil, as you head into your next chapter. We will miss you terribly, and think of you often <3
Thank you to St Helen's for supporting us this Easter! We love being able to give gifts to our service users to remind them how valued they are
Day 30 of Lent: FACT During the year we housed 29 young women at our No.3 project in Peckham. ACT Pray that those who need us will find their way to our services ://oasiscommunityhousing.org/event/lent-4 0-days-of-prayer-and-action/
Day 29 of Lent: FACT There are 115 people homeless in Gateshead. ACT Talk to your friends about homelessness to share your new understanding http://ow.ly/6kpM50mxNa2
A great place to start a rainy Monday. Our projects are open and ready to be a 'season of relief' for those that need shelter <3 If you don't know about Homeboy Industries, go to their Facebook page - they do incredible things...
Day 28 of Lent: FACT Since opening Basis@Sunderland we’ve had over 2100 interactions with people using the service. ACT Pray for stability within our staff team so that we can continue to support everyone who comes through our doors http://ow.ly/NViK50mxMEU
Being nominated as Homelessness Project of the Year at the UK Housing Awards is *MAJOR* for us. It means we're jolly good at what we do and people are starting to sit up and take notice.
When people notice what we do, they support us, and then we can do more and more until the day when we can just pack up and go home, because *everyone* is housed, included and loved.
There's some stiff competition in our category - @anchor_house @gmhpartnership @stmungos @staffshousing @ta...ffhousing @llamauuk @yshedz and we are honoured to be amongst them.
Result will be announced on May 1st.
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Day 27 of Lent: FACT A lack of affordable housing and changes to benefits can cause homelessness. ACT Watch ‘I, Daniel Blake’ to gain an understanding of the challenges people face on the benefits system. http://ow.ly/KGXp50mxMcc